A/N: Get the Story to 600 powerstones by Sunday, for a double release next Monday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! New Goal: 600 Powerstones!
A week had passed since the personal Chunin exam hosted by Hiruzen. Goro was standing on his Water Phoenix, flying over the Land of Fire, toward the Village Hidden in the Clouds.
Pulling out a trade permit given to him by Danzo, Goro scanned it, making sure that the details were all correct.
'Seems like the real deal. I don't know how he managed to get his hands on one. It's more likely he got his men to forge it. This permit approves my entry into the Village Hidden in the Clouds as a merchant. I don't understand why he chose me in particular, but I decided to come here because the reward is far too great. By killing Cloud ninja, I could diversify my jutsu repertoire, and I might be lucky enough to stumble upon a kekkei genkai. Danzo's intentions… For now, I think he's only testing my ability—in other words, assessing my usefulness.'
After some time, the Water Phoenix crossed over the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Springs, getting closer to the Land of Lightning with each minute that passed.
'As soon as I enter the Land of Lightning, I'll have to travel by foot. I can't risk getting caught. In addition to that, I need to transform into my disguise. Danzo gave me no guidance on how to move, so I'm just freestyling. If I had nothing to gain, this mission would be out of the question.'
The Water Phoenix had now reached the border of the Land of Lightning. Goro willed his phoenix to land, and it did as he wished. The phoenix landed a few meters away from the border, and as soon as Goro dismounted it, the phoenix melted into a giant puddle.
Goro transformed into a short old man, 4'11" in height, with a hunchback and a walking stick. The short man's face was riddled with stubble, and the only hair he had was on his chin.
'This is good enough.'
Flickering at high speeds, Goro stopped on a tree a few meters away from the gates of the Village Hidden in the Clouds. He had taken a liking to the terrain of the Land of Lightning. The high mountains gave him something to admire as he traveled. He felt the mountains made him feel small, reminding him that he still had a long way to go if he wanted to become the most powerful being in the world he now inhabited.
Jumping down and moving out of the sight of the gate guards, Goro reached into his pockets and retrieved a spare storage scroll he had with him. From the scroll materialized a cart.
'I'm ready.'
Goro approached the guards, pretending to struggle with pushing the cart.
"Please let me in, I am here to trade," Goro said in an old man's voice.
One of the guards walked over and searched the items on the cart, making sure nothing of concern was being smuggled into the village. Stepping back, satisfied with the search, the man asked, "And your permit?"
Goro took the permit from his pocket and handed it over to the guard. The guard paused briefly as he examined the permit.
'It should be all fine, right? I mean, I checked it at least five times... Come on...'
Looking back up at Goro, the guard handed the permit back and welcomed him in. Goro waited until he passed the guard to breathe a sigh of relief. He was new to infiltration missions, but he had more than the necessary skills to be successful.
Finding a quiet and empty spot, Goro stored the cart back into the scroll and transformed into the Cloud shinobi he had encountered manning the gate.
'I need to take someone's identity, and to do that, I'll need to kill them. I can't run the risk of someone finding out this is just a transformation jutsu and that there's two identical people roaming the village. First, I need to go somewhere where I can kill someone easily… The training grounds! No one is going to bat an eye if they hear jutsu being used in the distance or the clash of kunai. I don't plan to have a battle with the victim of my identity theft, though—instead, I'll sneak attack them.'
Making his way to the training grounds, Goro traveled to the furthest part, where the fewest people were. Spotting one particular boy practicing the tree-walking exercise, Goro flickered to the tree above him.
'He looks to be around 15 years old. He's most likely a Genin from his level of chakra control. Don't worry, when I steal his identity, he'll be acknowledged as a talented ninja, just as I am back home.'
Stalking the boy, Goro spotted his chance to strike—and he did. Goro mercilessly slit the boy's neck, too fast for him to react.
'Rest well; you'll be of good use to me. System, what rank is he?'
[He is an Upper Genin.]
Cutting off his ear, Goro went through the boy's pockets to see if he could find anything useful. To his bewilderment, the boy had a number tag and a name tag in his pockets.
'Is this for some sort of exam? His name is Namaki, and his number is 56…'
Memorizing the boy's appearance, Goro destroyed the corpse, wrapping it in wire and using his Fire Dragon Jutsu.
Once the body had turned to ashes, Goro then used Wild Water Wave to clean up the area.
'Time to transform.'
Goro transformed into Namaki and was ready to leave when he was approached by a girl who appeared to be around the same age as Namaki.
'Shit! She didn't see anything, did she? Do I need to kill her too?'
Goro's hand began to slowly trail toward his pouch where he kept his kunai.
Smiling, the girl said, "Namaki, you know we've got our second exam tomorrow, right? It isn't good if you spend all your time training—I'm sure you'll do fine."
'Second exam? Don't tell me I accidentally walked into another Chunin Exam. I'm not going to participate!'
"What's with the frown, Namaki? Don't you want the honor of meeting the Raikage? Those who pass get to meet him, and he'll personally give them the Chunin outfit," the girl continued.
'No, no, not necessary—I'll just book a meeting with him. Why would I go through all that effort?'
Placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, Goro replied, "I'll book a meeting with him, no biggie. Besides, doing the whole exam is such a hassle."
The girl's expression became puzzled. "Book a meeting? Namaki, this is the Raikage we're talking about. Only authorized personnel can walk into his estate, let alone his office," the girl explained.
Her previously bright and hopeful eyes changed to ones of sorrow. The girl had short brown hair that reached her chin, brown eyes, and a yellow thunderbolt under her right eye. She also wore a white crop top and white pants, with black shoes.
"Remember that promise we made to each other long ago? Y'know, when we were both kids? You said you'd reach the pinnacle, conquering the tallest mountain in the village—the Great Cloud Mountain. You had so much ambition that you inspired me to take an oath. An oath that we both wouldn't die until we reached that pinnacle. It just seems out of character for you to switch up all of a sudden. Namaki, I never got to tell you this before, but you're my hero. When I was so close to giving up on my dreams, you gave me light, so hearing you say this really… it really hurts," the girl explained, her eyes filling with tears.
Goro felt an emotion in his heart that he hadn't experienced in a very long time—guilt. It reminded him of the tears his mother shed when he was sentenced to life in prison. Sitting in the courtroom, watching his life and everything he held dear get taken away, was a harrowing experience. So much so that, in order to keep sane, he had to delude himself into believing he was an orphan.
'He's gone now. Things are done. He's like any other person I've killed. They're all the same in the end—dead bodies. If I'm caught now, my dreams and aspirations will also be over.'
Keeping the tears from flowing, Goro gave the girl a hug and responded, "I'll participate. And… I'm sorry."
The girl wiped her tears away and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't ever let me hear those words from you again. We will reach the top together," she exclaimed, lightly punching Goro.
Waving at the girl, Goro flickered away, renting a different lodge in another part of the village.
Reminder: Get the Story to 600 powerstones by Sunday, for a double release next Monday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! New Goal: 600 Powerstones!